


Never Let Go

by foxesjosten



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Character Death, Death, M/M, RMS Titanic, Suicide Attempt, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 13:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17366918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxesjosten/pseuds/foxesjosten
Summary: The ship was supposed to be unsinkable. It was supposed to be the ship of dreams, but it had turned into everyone's greatest nightmare. The night the Titanic went down was a night like no other and a night no one would ever forget.





	Never Let Go

Kim Seungmin was miserable. Not only was he miserable, but he was trapped. Or at least he felt that way. And maybe that suffocating feeling of being trapped is what caused him to run. One minute, he had been completely composed and the next, he was clawing off his bowtie and running for his life. He had to get out of his suite. Seungmin had to get away from everything and everyone, so he ran. But even he knew that running could only get him so far. He was on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean headed for the United States. He could only run as far as the other side of the ship. Kim Seungmin was miserable _and_ trapped.

Seungmin had felt trapped his whole life, but now it had finally become too much. There was no escaping this feeling. There was no way out. There was no way out, except one. Somewhere along the line, Seungmin had decided that even death would be better than feeling like a background character in his life. Death would be better than having your whole life planned out for you without having even the slightest say. _Death would be better._ So, that’s where he was headed. He was headed for his own demise at the hands of the sea that surrounded him. He was going to jump.

 

-

Han Jisung never would’ve considered himself to be a lucky person. He knew that he got by on his own hard work and perseverance, if you considered what he was doing “getting by.” Jisung didn’t have a dime to his name. He was a penniless artist trying to make it big in the world of art. The only things he had were the clothes on his back and the sketchbook in his hands. Han Jisung never would’ve considered himself to be a lucky person before a game of poker opened up a world of opportunities for him. His hard work had carried him as far as it could in Europe, but luck was bringing him to the United States.

The game had started out harmless, but soon enough bets had been made and money had been lost. When money had become out of the question, something else had been offered as a bet. Two tickets for the Titanic’s maiden voyage to the United States. The Titanic had been one of the most talked about pieces of news lately. It had been dubbed _The Unsinkable Ship_ by some and _The Ship of Dreams_ by others. Whatever the general public was calling it, Jisung knew that it was the opportunity he needed. He knew that both him and his friend, Felix, needed a fresh start. They needed those tickets. Jisung knew that skill could only carry him so far in a game like this, so he decided to rely on luck for once. He had sworn that his luck had run out a long time ago, but he was soon enough proven wrong. Luck had come through for him this time. Han Jisung had won his way to a new world full of opportunities. 

However, Jisung never thought that luck would lead him to follow a frantic boy to the edge of a ship. He’d only come up to the main deck to admire the night sky. Jisung may have won his way onto a luxury ship, but he was quickly reminded of his place in a world like this. Jisung and Felix were staying in steerage. They had both quickly agreed to attempt to stay away from the people on the other parts of the ship. Neither of them missed the stares they were given when they were among these people. Jisung knew that he was trash in their eyes and yet, he hadn’t given a second thought to following the obviously wealthy boy that had run past him.

Although he had been gone in a flash, something had caught Jisung’s eye. _Pain._ The boy had gone as quickly as he had come, but Jisung didn’t miss the pain in his expression. He couldn’t. Jisung was an artist and that meant that he observed people for a living. He could read just about anyone and this boy’s face read like a book. _Pain, he’s running from his pain._ Not only did Jisung see pain in the boy’s expression, but he also saw where the boy was running to. He was making a beeline for the guard rail of the ship. This boy was headed overboard. 

-

 _This is it,_ Seungmin thinks to himself as he stares at the unforgiving sea below him. He had made it to the end of this side of the boat and was now climbing over the railing. There was no other way for him to go on. Between his forced engagement to Hwang Hyunjin and his mother constantly stealing his freedom away from him, he knew that this was his best option. It was his only option.

“Don’t do it.” Seungmin hears from somewhere behind him.

“Stay back! Just stay away!” Seungmin yells back. He turns back to look at the stranger behind him. The boy staring back at him is almost enough to distract him from his current situation. Beautiful. He’s beautiful.

“You don’t want to do this. Look, just please take my hand. Take my hand and I’ll put you back over.” The boy pleads.

“Go away. Leave me be or I swear I’ll do it!” Seungmin exclaims. He didn’t need some beautiful stranger trying to play hero. He had already made his decision. He wanted to end his life tonight. 

“You won’t.” The stranger states. 

“Excuse me? Don’t you dare act as if you know anything of my intentions. You don’t know a thing about me.” Seungmin says.

“That’s true, I don’t know anything about you. But I do know that if you were serious about this you probably would’ve jumped already.” He says back.

“You’re assuming things again!” Seungmin snaps.

“Well, then I guess I’m just gonna have to jump in after you.” The boy explains as he takes off his shoes and jacket.

“That’s insane! The fall alone will kill you.” Seungmin responds.

“Nope, I’m a pretty great swimmer. Sure the fall will hurt, but I guess it’s what I have to do.” He says.

“The only thing you _have_ to do is leave! Stop distracting me.” Seungmin shouts. This boy was messing with his head. He was making Seungmin rethink his whole plan.

“I can’t leave now. I’m too involved now. How could I just walk away from you now after we’ve had a conversation. That would just make me an awful person, now wouldn’t it? I’m not going anywhere unless it’s into the water after you. If you jump, I’ll have to jump.” The boy declares.

“Just go away. Please.” Seungmin begs.

“You know,” the boy starts, “if the fall doesn’t kill you, I would say that the freezing cold might do the trick. That kind of cold is almost paralyzing. You feel it for hours afterward, if you survive of course.”

 _Hours afterward?_ Seungmin knew that the fall should kill him, but he begins to wonder what will happen if it doesn’t. Will the freezing ocean feel like it is paralyzing him? Will he get pulled back onto the ship?

“Paralyzing?” Seungmin asks.

“Absolutely. You know, I’m from the states, Wisconsin to be exact. We have some of the coldest winters there. One time when I went ice fishing with my dad and I fell in. I got out of there pretty quick, but it felt like I’d been under for hours! Water that cold feels like a thousand knives being stuck into you.” The stranger explains.

Seungmin is silent. _What if it doesn’t work?_ It’s beginning to become hard to see the boy through his tears. He takes one hand off the railing to wipe his eyes, which causes him to lose his balance.

“Please,” the boy begs again, “just take my hand.”

Seungmin breaks eye contact with the other boy and turns back towards the ocean. Was death really his only option? He couldn’t think of any other way to escape his own life and yet, a boy he had only met moments ago had given him a spark of hope. _Is a stranger a good enough reason to surrender tonight?_ Seungmin wonders to himself. He hears the other boy walking closer to him and soon enough, he feels his hand lightly brush his own. Seungmin decides to follow that tiny spark of hope and he takes the stranger’s hand. 

“I’m Han Jisung.” The boy says as he grabs Seungmin’s hand.

Seungmin had meant to respond, but he had suddenly become all too aware of the great height he was at. He had chosen to live and now the height was terrifying. All Seungmin had to do was climb over the railing to safety. Both him and Jisung figured that this would be the easy part, but what the two didn’t expect was Seungmin slipping before he could get over the railing safely. Seungmin screams as he plunges towards the sea, pulling Jisung with him.

“Help! Help me!” Seungmin screams.

“I’ve got you! I won’t let go!” Jisung yells back. Jisung uses all of the strength he has to pull Seungmin over the railing and to safety. Jisung slips back towards the deck taking Seungmin with him. The two fall into each other and onto the deck. The situation is bad enough and the arrival of three men seems to make things much worse. They see Jisung, a unkempt steerage boy, on top of Seungmin who is clearly disheveled and upset. His shirt is torn and there are tear stains down his face. The scene is messy and raises alarm. 

“What’s going on here? Someone call the master at arms!” One of the men yell.

_Uh oh._

-

“Did you _really_ think you could just put your hands on my fiancé without any consequence?! Look at me when I’m talking to you, you piece of garbage! What is the matter with you?!” Hyunjin shouts. 

The master at arms had been fetched and so had Seungmin’s fiancé and his bodyguard. Jisung was being put in handcuffs and was about to be dragged away, but not before he got a piece of Hwang Hyunjin’s mind. 

“Hyunjin, stop! It was an accident!” Seungmin suddenly shouts.

 _What is he doing?_ Jisung asks himself. Seungmin catches his eye as if to say, _follow my lead._

“It was completely my fault. I was looking over the railing at the propellers! While I was looking at them, I slipped. I slipped and Mr. Han here saved my life!” Seungmin lies. It wasn’t a complete lie. Jisung had saved his life, but he had done so under completely different circumstances. Jisung, however, was not going to argue when he was about to be thrown in ship jail.

“You wanted to see the propellers?” Hyunjin asks. Seungmin nods in response.

“Is this true? Is that how this really happened?” The master at arms questions. Everyone turns to look at Jisung for an answer.

“Uh huh. That’s how it all happened.” Jisung lies. Seungmin catches his eye again and nods. _Now we seem to share a secret._

“Well then, this boy is a hero! Good work son!” One of the men says to Jisung. He couldn’t care less what they call him as long as they uncuffed him. Being around people who saw him the way they all did made his skin crawl, all except for the boy he had saved. The boy he saved didn’t look at him any differently from the way he was looking at everyone else on the deck. The boy’s fiancé looks more than ready to leave, but one of the men stops him.

“Perhaps you could reward the young hero for his quick thinking.” The man says to Hyunjin.

“Of course, Woojin,” he says to his bodyguard, “a twenty should cover it.”

“Is that the going rate for saving the man you love these days?” Seungmin asks bitterly.

“You’re upset,” Hyunjin says to Seungmin, “Hm, what to do? I know! How about you come to dinner in first class tomorrow night with all of us. I’m sure you’d be more than happy to regale us with your heroic tale from tonight.”

“Sure, I’ll be there.” Jisung says quietly. _So much for staying away from these people._

Hyunjin puts his arm around Seungmin and begins to walk away. _This should be amusing,_ Hyunjin laughs to himself. 

Jisung is relieved to watch everyone go. He hadn’t planned on mingling with the upper class residents of the ship. He had planned to stay away from them, but there was something about the boy he saved that had begun to make him feel differently. It was obvious that he was in some kind of pain, but his fiancé seemed to know nothing about it. _How could you look past such raw pain? How could you look at the man you love and not see the pain in his eyes?_

“It’s funny,” Woojin says as he passes Jisung, “that you managed to take off your coat and jacket before saving Mr. Kim even though you both claim that it had happened so suddenly. Very funny.” 

-

“Seungmin, I know you’re upset. You’ve been upset, but I won’t pretend to know why.” Hyunjin says as he walks up behind Seungmin. He watches his fiancé approach him though the mirror in front of him. _You’d never ask why either._

“Now, I was going to save this for the engagement party next week, but I’ve decided to give it to you tonight. It’s a little something to remind you of my feelings towards you.” Hyunjin explains as he reaches for a black velvet box.

It was almost sweet. Hyunjin was almost acting the way one would towards their fiancé, but Seungmin knows there is some sort of catch. With Hyunjin, there’s always a catch. He hands the box over to Seungmin and watches while he opens it. The piece of jewelry inside the box makes Seungmin feel like he’s choking.

“Hyunjin, this is t-”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s a diamond you know, fifty six carats.” Hyunjin tells him.

Seungmin begins to feel trapped all over again. The necklace in his hands could sink a ship with its size and weight. Its main component is a massive blue diamond in the shape of a heart, which is then surrounded by smaller diamonds. It’s beautiful, but it is also the catch. Putting this on would be a constant reminder that Hyunjin owns him. This was a way of flaunting his wealth under the guise of love. The mere thought of that was making Seungmin sick. 

“The Heart of The Ocean,” Hyunjin says, shaking Seungmin from his thoughts, “That’s what it’s called. It was once worn by Louis the XVI. Here, let me put it on you.”

Seungmin stays facing towards the mirror as he watches Hyunjin put the necklace on him. The weight of it is suffocating. _If I jump off the ship wearing this, I’ll sink for sure._ Hyunjin turns back towards the mirror to look at their reflections. 

“What do you think?” Hyunjin asks.

“I-It’s quite overwhelming.” Seungmin replies.

“It’s for royalty, Seungmin. We are royalty.” Hyunjin says. _No, you are royalty. I’m a fraud,_ Seungmin wants to scream.

“I hope this proves that I could give you anything your heart desires, Seungmin. I have the power to obtain anything you desire. You must open your heart to me.” Hyunjin sighs. He takes one final look at the two of them in the mirror before exiting the suite.

Seungmin was thankful for Hyunjin’s sudden absence. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep his composure and the last person he wanted to lose it around was Hyunjin. The extravagant gift he had just received had only made him feel more trapped. It almost felt as if this was Hyunjin truly staking his claim over Seungmin. This was Hyunjin taking another piece of his freedom from him and there was nothing he could do about it.

-

Seungmin knew he shouldn’t be doing this. His mother and Hyunjin would have his head if they could see where he was headed. A man of class should not be seen in steerage. Seungmin could hear his mother’s voice in his head telling him to return to their part of the ship, but he refused to listen to it. He was still able to make certain choices for himself and he intended to do just that. Seungmin knew that Hyunjin’s attempt at an apology to Jisung had left something to be desired. He knew that it was only right to find Han Jisung and thank him personally.

-

“I’m hungry.” Felix whines.

“We’ll eat later. Besides, I wanna go on the upper deck again. There’s gotta be some sort of inspiration up there.” Jisung says. He had meant to take inspiration from the night sky last night, but his plans had clearly changed.

“Holy shit.” Someone whispers. Jisung looks up to see what caused the sudden outburst and is shocked at who is standing before him.

“Hello Jisung.” 

It’s the boy from the night before, the boy whose life he had saved. Felix and the others around him are floored at the sight of the boy. _Can’t blame them._

“Hi there.” Jisung says back.

“I was hoping that the two of us could have a chat,” he says, “in private.”

“Of course.” Jisung agrees while ushering the boy ahead of him. Jisung sends a confused look back to his friend before leaving. 

-

“So, do you have a name?” Jisung finally asks. The two had been walking down the upper deck in almost complete silence. They both had their own reasons for being awkward.

“Seungmin. Kim Seungmin.” The boy, Seungmin, says. 

Another silence falls upon the pair. 

“Mr.Han-”

“Please, call me Jisung.” Jisung says.

“Jisung,” Seungmin starts, “I feel rather foolish. To be quite honest, it’s taken me all day to work up the courage to come see you.”

“Here you are.” Jisung muses. 

“Yes, here I am. I would like to thank you for your discretion last night. I would say thank you for everything, but I will not be thanking you for pulling me back.” Seungmin explains.

“Well, you’re welcome.” Jisung says back.

“I know what you’re probably thinking, Jisung. Poor little rich boy, he knows nothing of the real world or the pain it may bring.” Seungmin sighs.

“I’m not thinking that at all. Seungmin, the only thing I was wondering about was your pain. I was wondering about what could have possibly pushed you to believe that jumping off the back of a ship was your only option.” Jisung states.

Seungmin’s pain had been on Jisung’s mind all night. He had found it hard to sleep because of how much the scene had truly bothered him. Kim Seungmin couldn’t have been more than nineteen and yet he believed that dying was his best option. The thought of that kept Jisung up all night.

“It’s not just one thing. It’s everything. It’s almost as if I’m being suffocated or backed into a corner with nowhere to run. I feel like I no longer have a say over my life and the path in which it follows,” Seungmin begins, “I knew I had to get out of my suite last night. I had to get the _hell_ out of there as quickly as possible, but the air out here wasn’t any easier to breathe. Between Hyunjin and my mother and her friends, I had to get away.”

“Hyunjin? Is he your…” Jisung trails off.

“Yes, he’s my fiancé.” Seungmin answers as he holds his ring finger out towards Jisung.

“Wow! God, you would’ve sunk right to the bottom if you would’ve jumped last night.” Jisung says. The two share a laugh before they, once again, fall into silence.

“What’s that?” Seungmin asks, pointing at the sketchbook in Jisung’s hands. He had almost forgotten that he had brought it with him. 

“Just some sketches.” Jisung says shyly.

“May I?” Seungmin asks. _He wants to see my drawings?_

“Sure.”

Seungmin opens the book with care. _If he’s keeping it with him at all times, it must be important to him._ Seungmin is shocked at the skill in the sketches he’s looking at. There’s multiple drawings with subject matter varying from animals to food to people. 

“Jisung, these are extraordinary.” Seungmin gasps.

“Yeah well, they didn’t think too much of them in ole Paris.” Jisung sighs.

“That’s truly their loss,” Seungmin says, “You’re a very talented artist.”

“Thank you.” Jisung mumbles. He can feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Compliments never meant much to him, but a compliment coming from Seungmin somehow meant the world. _Strange._

“Seungmin?” Jisung says.

“Yes?”

“Why are you marrying him? It’s not my place, but you don’t seem to be very happy.” Jisung questions.

“I love him.” Seungmin lies. He knows that Jisung can see right through him, but the lie isn’t for him. The lie is the same one he has to tell himself day after day after day. It’s the lie he’ll have to live with until the day he meets his demise.

“You’re lying.” Jisung accuses.

“There you go again, assuming things you know nothing about. You wouldn’t understand the way my world works. I _have_ to marry him. My world will fall apart if I don’t.” Seungmin explains.

“Based on last night, I’m pretty sure your world is already starting to fall apart. Anyways, I’ll get a basic understanding of your world tonight, remember? I was invited into it by your lovely fiancé.” Jisung says.

Seungmin had almost forgotten that Hyunjin had invited Jisung to dinner with them. It was his form of a reward for saving Seungmin, but it was a reward that no steerage class man would want. That’s because this wasn’t a reward, this was a chance to embarrass a complete stranger for no reason other than cruelty. Jisung had no clue what he was walking into.

“Well then, I shall see you tonight.” Seungmin says, reaching for Jisung’s hand. The two shake hands, but Seungmin is reluctant to let go. There is something so very calming about Jisung’s presence. Seungmin feels as though he doesn’t have to pretend around Jisung. He feels more at home than he has felt in years, which he knows is a troublesome thought. _Push the feeling down, Seungmin._

-

Jisung is about to head back down to his part of the ship, but he’s stopped by a hand on his arm. The hand belongs to a visibly shaken Seungmin. Before Jisung can ask, the pair are approached by a trio of women. _This must be the mother._

“Hello mother.” Seungmin say softly. He doesn’t know why he had stopped Jisung from leaving. If anything, he should’ve sent him away before his mother could get a good look at him, but Seungmin had made him stay. Seungmin wanted Jisung at his side right now. He needed a calming presence.

“Ah, would this be the boy who saved your life last night?” Seungmin’s mother asks in lieu of a greeting.

“It is. Han Jisung, this is my mother Kim Chaeyoung.” Seungmin says. The two briefly, and awkwardly, shake hands.

“Charmed I’m sure.” Chaeyoung says. _There’s that look again. She’s looking at me as if I’m not worth the ground I’m walking on,_ Jisung thinks. He wants to excuse himself, but he knows that Seungmin stopped him for a reason. 

“You sure are a good guy to have around in a sticky situation.” One of the women says. Judging by the look on Chaeyoung’s face, her opinion of this woman wasn’t much higher than her opinion of Jisung. _Well, that’s somewhat comforting._

“We’d love to stick around, but I believe it’s time to prepare for dinner. Seungmin, you look ghastly. Come along.” Chaeyoung says while fussing over Seungmin’s hair. Jisung had never noticed how beautiful the other boy’s red hair looked in the sun. 

“He’s throwing you into the wolf’s den. Do you have any idea of what you’re doing?” 

Jisung turns around and is surprised to see that one of the women had stuck around. This was the women that Chaeyoung particularly like. Interesting.

“I’m going to take that silence as a no. I’m Momo, by the way. I feel as though I already know the answer to this question but, do you have anything to wear to dinner?” Momo asks.

Jisung looks down at his raggedy clothing and back up at Momo. He shakes his head no. Jisung didn’t have anything anywhere near what someone of the upper class would consider appropriate. 

“I figured. Come with me, Han Jisung.”

-

Momo had not only let Jisung clean up in her room, but she had also fully dressed him. All that was left was the bowtie and the jacket. _Do I even know how to tie a bowtie?_ As if she’s able to read his mind, Momo swats his hands from the bowtie around his neck.

“Don’t feel bad,” she starts, “My husband can’t tie any sort of tie either.”

Jisung smiles at her statement. Momo doesn’t seem to be like the other upper class women. Jisung assumes that this is what Seungmin’s mother dislikes about her.

“There you go, all done! You clean up nice, Jisung. Go take a look!” Momo says, pointing him towards a mirror.

Jisung is slightly taken aback at the sight in front of him. It’s so clearly him and yet, it’s a complete stranger. The clothes and the slicked back hair, also done by Momo, make him feel like a completely different person. He almost feels like he fits in. _Almost._ Jisung looks back at Momo with a smile. He wants to thank her for her kindness and understanding. He wants to thank her for the clothing she had given him, but what he really wanted to thank her for was the way she looked at him. Momo was looking at Jisung in a way similar to how Seungmin had looked at him, without judgement.

“Thank y-”

“Oh, none of that! You look great, but that’s only going to take some of the pressure off of you tonight. I’m just glad that I could help.” She smiles.

Maybe there were still some good people in this world.

-

Jisung feels out of place the second he walks down the first class grand stairwell. He isn’t sure if he’s even playing his role convincingly enough, but for his own sake he hopes he is. He’s almost tempted to run when he hits the last step, but he trashes the plan when he sees who’s approaching him. Coming down the staircase he had just walked was Hyunjin walking arm in arm with Chaeyoung. They, however, aren’t the ones to catch Jisung’s attention. 

His eyes directly go to Seungmin who is only a few steps behind. _Breathtaking,_ Jisung thinks to himself. Seungmin is truly a sight for sore eyes. His beauty almost renders Jisung speechless. Seungmin smiles as he approaches Jisung. The two exchange a look before Jisung falls back into his act for the night. He imitates a gentlemen’s stance, hand behind his back, as he takes one of Seungmin’s hands in his own. Jisung bends down slowly and places a kiss on the back of the other boy’s hand. Seungmin visibly blushes.

“Hyunjin, I’m sure you remember Mr.Han.” Seungmin says, trying to distract himself from Jisung. _He’s almost like a car wreck. I know I should look away, but I can’t. Troubling._

“Han? Huh, look at you! You could almost pass as a gentlemen!” Hyunjin laughs. Neither Seungmin, nor Jisung along laugh with him.

After a bit of awkward conversation, everyone heads towards the dining area to begin dinner. Momo catches Jisung’s eye from a few feet away. The two share a look before she makes her way to Jisung. Jisung feels slightly more at ease with her here.

“Not much to it, is there?” She asks. 

“You could say that.”

“They respect money, Jisung. The trick is to act like you have it and they’ll ease up on you.” Momo explains. Jisung notes that she makes sure not to promise that they’ll like him, regardless of how much money he claims to have. _Yeah well, I only like two of you anyway._

-

Seungmin could not believe how well Jisung was pulling this off. He had felt a tiny bit of guilt for getting Jisung into this situation, but the feeling fades as he watches Jisung fall in with the crowd around them. _He almost pulls this off too well, maybe he was an actor in another life._

“So Mr.Han, how are the accommodations in steerage?” Chaeyoung asks. _Here it comes. This will be the end of Jisung’s perfect act._

“Some of the best I’ve ever seen ma’am. Almost no rats.” Jisung responds. Seungmin has to stifle a laugh. The more time he spends around Jisung, the more intriguing he becomes. 

“See, Mr.Han is joining us from third class tonight on my invitation. I’d think this should be one of the better nights of your life.” Hyunjin says.

“You’d think.” Jisung bites back.

Seungmin is astounded at Jisung’s ability to bounce back. Between his mother and Hyunjin, Jisung is being bombarded with judgement and insults and yet, he’s handling them with little to no interest. He’s handling them the way that only someone with experience could. 

“How do you like your caviar, sir?” The waiter asks Jisung. 

“Just a soupcon of lemon for the boy. It improves the flavor with champagne.” Hyunjin answers for him.

“Actually, no caviar for me,” Jisung says as he turns towards Hyunjin, “never did like it much.”

Momo and Seungmin both smile at the remark. The duo both feel a swell of pride towards Jisung. 

“Where exactly do you live, Mr.Han?” Chaeyoung questions.

“Well currently ma’am, the RMS Titanic is my address. After that, I believe it’s up to God and I.” Jisung answers. Salad is served and Seungmin makes sure to motion Jisung towards the proper fork for this dish. 

“You find that way of life rewarding, do you?” Chaeyoung asks.

“Rewarding? No, not always, but the world is a huge place. My parents always wanted to see the world, but they never did get the chance. They both died in a fire back in our hometown when I was fourteen, ma’am. I’ve been traveling on my own ever since. I think living the way I do gives me a unique perspective on life. You have to take what life throws at you everyday. It teaches you to make each day count.” Jisung clarifies. 

“Quite well said, Jisung.” Momo says as she raises her glass. A few others follow her lead and toast to Jisung’s words.

“To making every day count.” Seungmin says as he joins the toast. Chaeyoung stares daggers into Seungmin, but he doesn’t falter. 

“Where do you get the money to travel then?” Chaeyoung presses. Seungmin knows his mother and he knows that this is her way of trying to gain back the points she’s lost to Jisung during this conversation. She, like Hyunjin, is trying to embarrass Jisung. Little does she know that Jisung would never let someone like her have any power over him.

“Hard work and apparently a little bit of luck, as of recently. I work my way from area to area. I was lucky enough to win my ticket onto the Titanic. Must’ve been a lucky hand.” Jisung says as he glances at Seungmin. _Very lucky._

“Life is a game of luck.” Someone agrees.

“A real man makes his own luck.” Hyunjin states. _I see Jisung is getting to him too. Good._

-

“Next it’ll be brandy and some sort political discussion. That’s usually what these sinners lead to.” Seungmin whispers to Jisung. Dinner had went well, but now came another tricky part of the night. Luckily enough, Jisung knew that he could excuse himself from it.

“Joining us for brandies, Han?” Hyunjin asks.

“No actually, I’m heading back to my room.” Jisung says. 

“Sad to see you go. It’s probably for the best though, this conversation wouldn’t be of any interest to you. Good of you to come.” He says. Hyunjin fakes a bit of disappointment at Jisung’s rejection and sends Seungmin one final look before following the other men towards a cloud of cigarette smoke. 

“Do you really have to go?” Seungmin asks. _Please stay just a bit longer._

“I do,” Jisung says sadly, “it’s only a matter of time before the coach turns back into a pumpkin.”

Jisung takes Seungmin’s hand in his before leaving. He places a note in Seungmin’s hand before placing one final kiss on the back of it. Chaeyoung scowls as she watches Jisung exit from across the room. Seungmin, however, is pleased with how the night went. He’s even more pleased when he opens the note Jisung had slipped him which reads, _Make it count. Meet me by the clock._

-

Seungmin moves as swiftly as he can towards the clock without making a scene. Jisung hadn’t departed that long ago, but Seungmin finds that he already misses him. He spots Jisung and heads towards him with a smile on his face. Seungmin may not realize it, but this is one of the first times he’s felt genuinely happy in a long time.

“Want to go to a real party?” Jisung asks.

-

 _A real party indeed,_ Seungmin thinks to himself. The room they’re in is alive and moving to the music. Drinks are being spilled and fun is being had all around him. Though the room is packed, this is the most free Seungmin has felt since stepping foot onto the Titanic. There’s a change in music, something more slow paced, which Seungmin takes as a sign to find Jisung. He spots the boy in question talking with two of his friends. Seungmin remembers their names to be Felix and Jeongin. Seungmin makes his way over to the trio and taps Jisung on the shoulder.

“May I cut in?” Seungmin asks.

“Absolutely.” Jisung says as he leads Seungmin away from his friends and to the dance floor. That is, of course, if a crowd of people dancing in one space could be considered a dance floor.

Their first attempt at dancing is a bit awkward, but the two find it easy to warm up to each other. Seungmin has his arms draped around Jisung’s shoulders while Jisung finds his hands on Seungmin’s hips. 

“So this is your world, huh?” Seungmin asks in a low voice. He feels as though speaking above a whisper will ruin this moment. Their moment.

“And that was your world,” Jisung says back, “You don’t belong there, Seungmin. You aren’t one of them.”

“What?” Seungmin questions.

“You’re so different from all of them. They think they’re giants, but in reality they’re just as small as everyone down here is. Except, you don’t see yourself as larger than life. You see yourself the way you see everyone else. You see people for who they really are.” Jisung explains.

Seungmin finds himself at a loss for words. Jisung had only known him for a day or so and yet, he had figured him out better than Hyunjin or his mother ever could. He couldn’t tell if it was because he was an easy read or if it could be attributed to how well Jisung could read a person. Regardless of how Jisung came to his conclusions, they were correct. Seungmin did see everyone for who they were, no matter what kind of person they were. Money and power didn’t distract Seungmin from seeing someone for who they really were. 

Seungmin pauses his thoughts to look back up at Jisung. Their faces are only inches apart from each other. The moment is almost perfect. Almost. If the two were a normal couple, they would kiss. But Seungmin and Jisung were not a normal couple and they never would be. They could not kiss or hold hands. Even what they were doing right now, innocently dancing, was pushing it. And pushing it they were, because Kim Woojin was watching the pair from the door. 

-

“I hoped you would come to me last night.” Hyunjin says. His statement breaks the silence between him and Seungmin. The two had been eating breakfast in complete silence for god knows how long. The silence, however, didn’t alarm Seungmin. Most of the time the pair spent together had been spent in silence.

“I was quite tired.” Seungmin replies.

“Funny. It seems that you weren’t too tired to attend a third class party.” Hyunjin clips. The remark makes Seungmin stiffen. _Of course, he had me followed._

“I see that you had your man servant follow me around the ship.” Seungmin accuses.

“Of course I did! What am I supposed to do when you seem so keen on making a fool out of me?! You will _never_ behave that way ever again!” Hyunjin yells.

“I’m not a child, Hyunjin! You cannot tell me what I can and can’t do! I’m your fiancé-” Seungmin starts.

The sentence seems to set Hyunjin off. He knocks the breakfast spread off of the table as he barrels towards Seungmin. Before Seungmin has time to react, Hyunjin grips both arms of his chair, trapping Seungmin. 

“Yes! You are and yet you still refuse to act like it! You will show me respect and honor, Seungmin! You will never again make me look like a fool. Is any of this unclear?” Hyunjin shouts.

Seungmin opens his mouth to respond, but the words die on his tongue as he realizes that they have company. Hyunjin follows Seungmin’s gaze to the person in the doorway. It’s only a maid, coming with juice, but she’s enough to make Hyunjin back off of Seungmin. He glares at Seungmin one more time before exiting the room.

“We had a bit of an accident. I’m sorry.” Seungmin apologizes to the maid.

-

Seungmin somehow finds himself in his mother’s suite as they both get ready for the day. Breakfast with Hyunjin had left him shaken up. He’d come too close to putting his hands on Seungmin and that wasn’t a road he wanted to travel down. Seungmin wasn’t sure what bothered him more, Hyunjin’s almost assault or the reason why he was as angry as he was. Hyunjin only cared about his image. His image had been insulted, meaning that he had been insulted. Seungmin shakes the thought from his head as he turns to find his mother glaring at him.

“You’re never to see that steerage boy ever again. I forbid you, Seungmin.” Chaeyoung declares.

“Oh stop it, mother, you’ll give yourself a nosebleed.” Seungmin bites back. 

“This isn’t a game! You know what our situation is! Our money is gone, do you not realize that?” She shouts.

“You mention it almost every time I am within a ten mile radius of you, so yes I do know.” He says back. 

“Then you know that your father left us nothing but his debts! You’ve found yourself an ideal match with Mr.Hwang. This marriage will guarantee our survival and you’re putting it in jeopardy!” Chaeyoung fumes.

“How can you put all of this on my shoulders? I wasn’t brought into this world to save you!” Seungmin cries.

“No,” Chaeyoung starts, “you were not brought into this world to save me, but now you must. This is your duty, Seungmin. Do you want to see me working as a seamstress?”

Seungmin tries to ignore the fear he sees in his mother’s eyes. Both her and his late father had put them in this position and somehow Seungmin was supposed to pull them out of it all by himself.

“This isn’t fair.” Seungmin states.

“Nothing in life is fair, Seungmin.”

-

Jisung still couldn’t believe what had just happened. All he wanted to do was visit Seungmin, but he had gotten turned away. The people in first class knew him now. He figured they would let him slide, but Kim Woojin had turned up and made sure he knew that he was no longer welcome in first class. He had even had the nerve to offer Jisung the twenty from two nights prior. The reward for saving Seungmin’s life. Jisung didn’t want their money, he wanted Seungmin. He wanted Seungmin, but he knew that that was impossible. He knew that he could never have Seungmin in the way that he wanted him.

-

“Jisung, he’s a god among men. You had to know he was gonna ditch you after a while.” Jeongin says.

“No, it’s not him. It’s the people he’s with. They’re the ones who don’t want me to see him. I know it.” Jisung replies.

Jisung refused to believe that Seungmin had been part of the reason he was sent away. He wouldn’t believe that. 

“You really need to think about this more logically, Jisung.” Jeongin sighs.

“Love isn’t logical.” Felix says.

_You’re damn right it isn’t._

-

“Another ice warning, captain. This one is from the Baltic.”

“Thank you.”

“Is all of this ice normal?”

“Of course! This amount of ice is very common for this time of year!”

“Alright. Sir, did we ever find the binoculars for the lookouts?”

“Haven’t seen them since Southampton.”

-

Seungmin doesn’t know how he does it, but Jisung manages to find him on the upper deck. Seungmin pulls him into an empty room to avoid being seen by his mother or Hyunjin.

“Jisung, we can’t do this anymore. This is impossible.” Seungmin sighs.

“Seungmin,” Jisung says, “you’re no walk in the park, you know. You’re a bit of a brat. You’re difficult and headstrong, but I love that about you. You are the most _amazing_ person I have ever met. Y-”

“Jisung, d-”

“Just please let me say this. You’re amazing Kim Seungmin. I know that I have nothing to offer you, but I’m too involved now. I can’t just walk away from this. You jump, I jump, remember?” Jisung finishes.

Seungmin can feel the tears coming. He’s never met anyone like Han Jisung before. He’s honest and true and absolutely beautiful, which is why Seungmin’s next words are some of the most painful he’s ever had to speak in his entire life.

“I’m ending this, whatever this is. I need to end this before you make it harder to end.” Seungmin laments.

“Seungmin, don’t you see what they’re doing to you? They’re killing you. You’re like a wild animal being kept in the cage. You keep trying to break out, but soon enough you’ll give up on trying to escape. They’re going to break you.” Jisung states.

“It’s not your job to keep on saving me, Jisung.” Seungmin says.

“I know that. Only you can save yourself from this.” Jisung says.

 _Only you can save yourself._ If only it were that easy.

“Jisung, I need you to stay away from me. I need you to never come near me again.” Seungmin says as he pushes past Jisung. 

Jisung is too shocked to follow after the other boy. Not only is he shocked, but Han Jisung is heartbroken. Jisung was experienced in the ways of the world, but this new feeling was something he had no experience in fixing. This was Han Jisung’s first real heartbreak.

-

Seungmin knows that he made a mistake. He knew it as soon as he left Jisung, but sitting in silence with his mother was making him realize so even more. _I have to see him. I can’t leave things this way._ If it were up to Seungmin, he would bolt from the room right now, but that was not something he could get away with doing. He did have another idea, a more appropriate idea. Seungmin calmly takes the teacup in his hand and overturns it on himself.

“Oh dear, look what I’ve done.” He says.

-

Jisung didn’t go back to his room after Seungmin had left him. Maybe he was too upset to face Jeongin and Felix. Or maybe he was looking for inspiration again. Seungmin had inspired him, but he would never get to draw him. He would never even get to see him again.

“Hello Jisung.” He hears from behind him. No, it couldn’t be.

Jisung turns towards the voice and is shocked at who he finds standing behind him. Kim Seungmin.

“I changed my mind. I can’t end this.” Seungmin says. Jisung smiles at the statement. His broken heart is suddenly whole again, as if it had never broken in the first place. 

“Felix said you might be up here.” Seungmin states.

“Come here,” Jisung says as he motions towards the spot next to him, “I want to try something.”

Seungmin walks to Jisung as quickly as he can. They two hadn’t been separated for long, but to them it had felt like decades. 

“Close your eyes.”

Seungmin closes his eyes as he feels Jisung’s arms slide around his waist from behind. Jisung then walks him a few feet forward and presses the two of them gently to the rail. He removes his arms from Seungmin’s waist only to raise the other boy’s arms. He then returns his arms to Seungmin’s waist as he leans forward into him. 

“Open your eyes.”

Seungmin gasps when he opens his eyes. The only thing in front of him is the Atlantic Ocean. He knows that he should be terrified, but he also knows that there is nothing to fear with Jisung by his side. The wind hits the two as the ship continues to make its way through the sea. _This sunset is almost as beautiful as you._

“I’m flying!” Seungmin laughs.

Jisung still finds himself speechless at the way the light hits Seungmin’s red hair. He’s still speechless at the way Seungmin’s smile makes him feel warmer than the sunlight shining down on them. He still finds himself unable to speak because of just how beautiful Kim Seungmin is. Seungmin leans back into Jisung and turns his head to face him. The two, once again, find their faces only inches from each other. But this time, they take the plunge. There’s no questioning whether it’s right or okay this time. Both boys lean in until their lips finally meet. The scene in front of them is beautiful, but the kiss is captivating. The two seem to move as one, slowly and with passion. It’s the first time both of them feel _real love_ in a touch. 

-

“Is this light sufficient?” Seungmin asks.

Jisung can only nod. The subject matter of his art had never made him nervous before, but when Seungmin had suggested a new piece, Jisung had found himself terrified.

“Mr.Artiste!” Seungmin calls, shaking Jisung from his thoughts.

“Hm?”

Seungmin motions towards a painting above the fireplace. 

“Monet?” Jisung gasps.

“Indeed,” Seungmin says as he walks towards a safe, “Hyunjin insists on carrying this around with him everywhere.”

“Speaking of, should we be expecting him back anytime soon?” Jisung asks. The last thing he wanted to do was get Seungmin into more trouble.

“Not as long as there’s cigarettes and liquor.” Seungmin answers.

He watches Seungmin unlock the safe and reach into it. What he pulls out from the safe is eye catching to say the least. Jisung has never seen anything like it. He assumes it’s worth more than twice his life and then some.

“Sapphire?” Jisung asks.

“Diamond actually. A very rare one, called The Heart of The Ocean,” Seungmin pauses, “I want you to draw me wearing this, Jisung.”

“Alright.” Jisungs says hoarsely.

The thought of drawing Seungmin is startling. Kim Seungmin’s beauty is no secret and Jisung doesn’t know if he’ll be able to capture it properly. He doesn’t want to mess this up.

“Something wrong?” Seungmin asks. 

“Not a thing. Let’s get started.” Jisung says.

-

Seungmin is sat on a couch in front of Jisung, eyes boring holes into him. _He has the most beautifully expressive eyes,_ Jisung muses to himself as he tries to capture them. The drawing is coming along well, but his nerves still refuse to fade. He had told Seungmin where and how to sit for the portrait. His position along with his fierce expression is almost too much for Jisung to handle. How someone could be this delicate yet so fiery, he would never know. The longer the two stare at each other, the more Jisung feels his heart swell. _Maybe luck does have something to do with it._

Seungmin’s heart pounds throughout the entire time it takes Jisung to draw him. He had never seen the other boy look so determined. It was almost disorienting. Seungmin’s job was easy and yet, sitting still with Jisung that close to him was one of the most challenging things he had done in a while. When the drawing is done, Jisung turns it towards Seungmin. _He sees people in a way that no other can. It feels as though he has x-rayed my soul._

“Date it, Jisung. I always want to remember this night.” Seungmin says softly.

Jisung dates the drawing and hands it to Seungmin. He returns the necklace to the safe and places the drawing, along with a note, on top of it. He then closes the safe door and returns to Jisung.

-

Kim Woojin never enjoyed having to deliver bad news to Hwang Hyunjin. It wasn’t out of concern for his feelings, but out of a selfish desire to not have to keep an eye on the brat while he throws a fit. He would argue with himself that he didn’t get paid enough for things like this, but he knew that was a lie.

“Hyunjin, no one has seen him anywhere. It’s as if he’s vanished.” Woojin informs Hyunjin. He had sent Woojin to find Seungmin and he had shown up blank. He knew that the younger boy wouldn’t handle this well. 

“This is absurd! Find him Woojin.” Hyunjin says. He’s only holding onto his composure because he is in public. The minute he steps away from the crowd is the minute he’ll explode with rage. 

-

Seungmin freezes as he hears a key slide into the lock on his door. Jisung looks to Seungmin in a panic. Seungmin grabs Jisung by the hand, leading him into the bedrooms just in time. Kim Woojin enters the room a second too late.

“Mr.Seungmin? Hello?” He calls. 

Seconds later, Woojin hears a door shut.

-

“Come on! We have to get out of here!” Seungmin whispers. He knows what will happen if he is caught with Jisung again.

The two break out in a run towards the nearest elevator. The duo shock multiple people as they shoulder past them. They also happen to frighten the elevator operator.

“Take us down! Quickly!” Jisung shouts.

The elevator operator scrambles to comply with the frantic request. Jisung helps him close the steel doors in front of them. Woojin arrives just as the elevator begins to head down. _Too little, too late._ The close encounter causes Jisung and Seungmin to burst out into laughter. Seungmin, feeling brave, thrusts his middle finger above his head at Woojin. The elevator operator gasps at the gesture.

When Woojin steps off his elevator, he immediately heads towards the one that Seungmin had been on. But unfortunately for Woojin, he was once again a few seconds too late. The pair were nowhere in sight. _Time to break even more bad news to the brat. Oh goody._

-

Jisung and Seungmin find themselves hiding from Woojin in the boiler room. It’s hot, almost suffocating, and yet the two find it the perfect place to share a couple of kisses. They kiss between laughter and laugh between the kisses. Jisung is the first to break the contact. He opts for staring at Seungmin. He wants to take everything in. He wants to remember Seungmin looking like a mess, a perfect mess. The two were a perfect mess. Seungmin laughs at the attention and takes Jisung by the hand to lead him towards another part of the ship.

-

The two eventually end up in the cargo area of the ship. They stumble upon rows of luxurious vehicles. Seungmin points towards one, motioning for Jisung to join him inside of it. As lovely as making out in the boiler room was, Seungmin decided that the two deserved some privacy. Jisung helps Seungmin into the vehicle and shuts the door behind them. 

“Where to, sir?” Jisung asks.

“To the stars.” Seungmin replies.

The two seem to pick up right where they left off in the boiler room, only these kisses seem to be more tender and less rushed. The adrenaline from the chase has disappeared. The laughter between the two has faded. 

“Jisung?”

“Yes, Seungmin?”

“Thank you.” Seungmin answers.

“For what?” Jisung asks. What could Seungmin possibly have to thank him for that he hadn’t already?

“Thank you for making me feel alive. This is the most alive and in control I’ve felt in a very long time. Thank you for reminding me that life is worth living. Thank you for teaching me to make each day count.” Seungmin says.

“Now don’t go doing that,” Jisung says, very aware of the lump forming in his throat, “You don’t gotta thank me for any of that. You always knew those things, you just needed a reminder.”

“Thank you for being that reminder.” Seungmin says as he leans in for another kiss. And who is Jisung to deny him that?

-

If Hyunjin thought he was furious earlier, he was wrong. _Now_ he was furious. He’d sent Woojin and two stewards after Seungmin and none of them had found him yet. However, that wasn’t what had pushed him over the edge. What had pushed him was the drawing, along with a note, that was left on top of his safe.

 _Darling, now you can keep us both locked in your safe. Seungmin._

He’s aware of Woojin behind him, staring at the drawing over his shoulder. Hyunjin can’t decide whether to crumble it or to tear it in half. He decides that shredding it to bits would be the best method of disposal. He almost goes through with it before he stops himself.

“I have a better idea.” Hyunjin says. 

-

“When the boat docks, I’m getting off with you.” Seungmin says. The two were standing on the crew deck after running from the cargo area. They could barely stand because of how hard they’d been laughing. It was shaping up to be one of the best nights of both of their lives.

“You’re crazy. This is crazy.” Jisung laughs.

“It makes absolutely no sense, which is why I know it’s the right decision.” Seungmin replies. The two begin laughing again as Jisung pulls Seungmin for another kiss.

-

“Get a load of those two!” One of the crewmembers says from the crow’s nest. He gestures towards Jisung and Seungmin. The two are in their own world. 

“Well, they’re definitely warmer than the two of us.” Another member of the crew responds.

“Yeah well, if that’s the only way to keep warm, I think I’d prefer to freeze.” The other laughs. The rest join in the laughter with their crewmember. However, the laughter ceases when one of them looks forward. He seems to do a double take, not believing what he’s seen the first time. The color drains from his face as he opens his mouth to speak his next words.

“Iceberg right ahead!”

-

The crew tries to warn and brace themselves for what is about to happen. They try to steer the ship out of the way, but it’s too late for that. They approach the iceberg fast and it hits the side of the ship hard. Somewhere in steerage, Felix is thrown from his bed. Somewhere in first class, a few people stagger. Nobody knows what’s caused this abrupt movement. Nobody except the crew, Jisung, and Seungmin.

The two run to look over the starboard railing as the iceberg passes. They’d still been kissing when the hit knocked them even closer into each other’s arms. The sudden movement caused them to stop kissing. 

“I don’t see anything.” Jisung says.

“Could it have damaged the ship?” Seungmin asks worriedly.

“I don’t think it did. It really didn’t seem like much of a bump.” Jisung replies, taking Seungmin’s hand in his. Behind them, a few crew members are laughing while kicking around a piece of ice.

-

“Uh, Jeongin? Step off your bed for a second.” Felix asks. He needs to know that he’s not just seeing things. He needs to know if he’s really standing in a foot of water.

“Holy shit,” Jeongin starts as he sets foot on the floor, “what the hell is going on?” 

The two exchange a look before running from their room. They begin knocking on all doors in their hallway. Something is very wrong and they need to warn people before it’s too late.

-

“Everyone please go back to your rooms! There is no cause for alarm! Everything is fine.” One of the stewards says. If only he knew what damage the iceberg had done. 

“Sir,” he starts, “please return to your room. There’s no cause for alarm!”

“Yes there is. Call the master at arms! I’ve been robbed.” Hyunjin shouts. The steward nods and runs to get the master at arms. _New plan, better plan._

-

Jisung and Seungmin were smart to linger on the crew’s deck. Although they didn’t think the ice caused any damage, the sudden panic in the crew members around them had proved them wrong. From what they could hear, the ship was taking on water. The boiler room was filling up. The lower parts of the ship were becoming full of ice cold water. 

“It’s bad.” Jisung sighs. 

“We have to tell mother and Hyunjin.” Seungmin says.

“And now it’s worse.” Jisung says back.

“Please come with me, Jisung. I jump, you jump, right?” Seungmin pleads. He knows those words will get Jisung moving.

“Right.”

-

Seungmin and Jisung enter a corridor somewhere off Deck B. Seungmin knows that it will lead them back to his room. He stops a few doors down from his suite. Him and Jisung are holding hands when they run into none other than Kim Woojin. Seungmin stiffens at the sight of him. Jisung squeezes his hand harder to remind him that Jisung would let nothing happen to him.

“We’ve been looking for you, sir.” Woojin says. He ushers the pair in, stepping behind them. Jisung doesn’t feel Woojin slip the diamond necklace into his jacket. He is none the wiser and he has no clue what he is walking into.

“Something serious has happened.” Chaeyoung says as the two enter the room. She’s sitting on a couch with Hyunjin standing behind her. Next to Hyunjin are two stewards and the Master at Arms. _Here comes trouble._

“That’s right. Two very precious things have been stolen from me tonight,” Hyunjin starts, “Now that one of them is _finally_ back, I have a good idea of where the other is. Search him.” Hyunjin motions the Master at Arms towards Jisung. 

“Jacket off.” He says. Woojin wastes no time ripping the jacket off of Jisung.

“This is bullshit!” Jisung shouts. 

“Hyunjin, you cannot be serious! There’s an emergency a-”

 

“Is this it?” The Master at Arms asks. He had shaken out Jisung’s coat and the necklace had fallen right out of it. Seungmin is shocked, but so is Jisung.

“Why yes, yes it is.” Hyunjin says. It takes some effort to keep the grin off of his face. 

“Alright then, now don’t cause a fuss.” The Master at Arms says as he begins to handcuff Jisung. _This is the second time this guy has handcuffed me. Sure am getting sick of him._

“Don’t believe it, Seungmin! Don’t!” Jisung yells.

“He couldn’t have.” Seungmin says. There’s a hint of uncertainty in his voice. 

“Oh, but he could have and he did. He probably memorized the code while looking over your shoulder!” Hyunjin argues. Seungmin thinks back to when he was opening the safe door. Jisung _had_ been looking at him when he opened it.

“I was with him the whole time.” Seungmin says back.

“Well maybe you took your eyes off of him in between kisses.” Hyunjin says low and coldly. Seungmin shudders at the sound of his voice. He did take his eyes off of Jisung here and there. He had done so for long enough that Jisung would’ve had time to steal the necklace. His head is spinning at the thought of the theft. 

“They put it in my pocket, Seungmin! Don’t believe them!” Jisung shouts as Woojin drags him from the room. Seungmin begins to block out his yelling. He feels numb all over.

“I told you he could not be trusted.” Chaeyoung says.

The ship begins to take on more water as Seungmin starts to cry.

-

“Water above fourteen feet above the keel in ten minutes. In the forespeak, in all three holds, in boiler room six.”

“That’s right.”

“Five compartments. The boat can stay afloat with the first four compartments breached. But not five. As it goes down by the head the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads. At E Deck, from one to the next, back and back. There's no stopping it.” 

“The pumps-”

“They’ll only buy you a small amount of time. No matter what we do at this point, the Titanic will founder.”

“This ship cannot sink!”

“I assure you she can and she will. I give it an hour or two at most.”

“And how many on board?”

“Two thousand. Two thousand souls on board.” 

The room is filled with a sickly silence. Two thousand souls. An hour, two at most.

-

The second Seungmin is left alone with Hyunjin he receives a slap across the face. Seungmin is so numb that he almost doesn’t realize what is happening. The blow to the face is nothing compared to the blow his heart had just taken.

“You little slut!” Hyunjin shouts. He cocks his arm back, as if to hit Seungmin again, but he’s interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Hello Mr.Hwang! I've been told to ask you to please put on your lifebelt, and come up to the boat deck.” The steward says.

“Get out! We’re busy!” Hyunjin says.

“I do apologize about the inconvenience, but it’s Captain’s orders.” The steward says as he hands the two their lifebelts. He leaves quickly, making sure not to hang around. 

If Seungmin didn’t know better, he would think that everything was fine. The steward's calm demeanour hadn’t alluded to any major problem, but Seungmin knew better. He knew what he heard from the frantic crew and he knew the problem had probably gotten worse. He wondered how much water the boat could take before it went down. 

Meanwhile in steerage, things are the exact opposite. The rooms and hallways are filling up with water fast. The stewards do not show the same calmness to these people. They burst through doors commanding passengers to put on their lifebelts. They’re displaying a true air of panic. The people in steerage know that whatever is happening is going to be deadly.

The crew members above, much like the first class stewards, act too calmly. Maybe they don’t want a panic on their hands or maybe this is how they’re choosing to deal with the situation, with denial. If they don’t acknowledge the problem, it wouldn’t happen. They didn’t have to do anything, because the ship wouldn’t sink. The members who are passed their denial send out distress signals. 

-

The first class passengers are beginning to become impatient on the deck. They had been dragged out of their rooms and _for what?_ Everything seemed fine. Everything was fine as far as any of them knew, except Seungmin. Seungmin knew what was really happening.

“What’s going on here? You all lit a fire under our asses and now we’re stood here shivering in the cold! What gives?” Someone shouts at a passing steward.

“I’ll go find out for you, sir.” He says.

“This is just like the god damned English, doing everything by the book.” Hyunjin spits.

“There’s no need for the language Mr.Hwang.” Chaeyoung replies.

Seungmin opens his mouth to respond, but someone catches his eye. _Mr.Andrews._ Seungmin knew him as the architect of the ship. He would be able to confirm Seungmin’s worries. As if he can read Seungmin’s mind, he walks towards them.

“Mr.Andrews, I saw the iceberg. I can see the fear in your eyes. I need you to tell me the truth.” Seungmin pleads.

“The ship will sink.” He says hoarsely.

“You’re sure?” Seungmin asks. _There’s no room for denial now, only action._

“Yes. In an hour or two, this entire ship will be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.” He explains. 

“Dear God.” Hyunjin gasps. The Titanic? Sinking?

“Please only tell who you must. I cannot be responsible for a panic. Make sure to get to a boat quickly. Don't wait.” Mr.Andrews warns before leaving.

-

“This is _bullshit._ ” Jisung says again. Woojin and the Master at Arms are handcuffing him to a pipe when a panicked crewman rushes in.

“You’re wanted by the Purser, sir. It’s urgent.” He says.

“Go on,” Woojin says, “I can keep an eye on him.” Woojin pulls out a pearl handled Colt .45 automatic from under his coat. The Master at Arms nods and tosses him the handcuff key. He then exits with the crewman. Woojin sends a cold smile towards Jisung as he plays around with the key.

-

“Carpathia has answered our distress call, sir. She’s headed for us.”

“That’s great!”

“Sir, they say it’ll take four hours to get to us.”

“Four?!”

The room falls into another painful silence.

“Thank you.”

_Dear God, please save us._

-

“Women and children! Board the boats immediately! Women and children!” A crewman shouts.

Frantic women holding their children begin boarding the lifeboats on the ship. The whole boat has erupted into chaos. People are finally starting to realize that there is a serious problem. Families are being separated, children are crying. No one wants to leave a loved one behind, but they must follow the rules. Women and children first.

_Dear God, please save them._

-

“My brooch! I left it, I must go get it!” Chaeyoung shrieks.

Chaeyoung, Hyunjin, and Seungmin have come up by the lifeboats. Only women and children were to board, but the rich had their ways of breaking the rules. Hyunjin and Seungmin could get on a lifeboat right now without a second look.

“Chaeyoung, stay here.” Hyunjin commands. This is the first time both Seungmin and Chaeyoung have seen fear in Hyunjin’s eyes.

-

 _They’re going to let us die down here,_ Felix thinks to himself. Both him and Jeongin knew why they were being kept in steerage still. The first class passengers were going to be loaded into boats first. They would have to wait at this damn gate until they were all good and ready. Steerage had been chaos since the moment the water had begun spilling in. Felix didn’t want to die down here. He didn’t want Jeongin to die down here. They had only met a few days ago, but he knew that Jeongin was a young ambitious boy who deserved to see tomorrow. 

Please don’t let us die down here.

-

“You know, I believe this ship may sink.” Kim Woojin says to Jisung. The two are still in the Master At Arms’ office. The only thing Jisung can do is watch Woojin play around with the bullets from his gun. He knew his current situation should be what was upsetting him, but he didn’t care about the handcuffs or the gun. He cared about Seungmin. He was devastated that Seungmin hadn’t believed him. 

“Good luck, young Jisung. You’re going to need it.” Woojin laughs. _Good luck?_ Woojin shakes the handcuff key towards Jisung before exiting the room. He’s making sure that Jisung knows that he has no way out. Jisung is going to go down with the ship. He’s going to die here.

-

Seungmin feels his heart being ripped out as he watches the scene playing out in front of him. Fathers saying goodbye to their wives and children. Children screaming for their fathers. Wives trying to hold it together. Seungmin has to force himself to look away.

“Come on, Chaeyoung. You’re next.” Momo says to Seungmin’s mother. Their group was next to be seated on the lifeboats. They were about to be saved from the tragedy.

“Will the lifeboats be seated by class? I hope they’re not too crowded-”

“Will you _shut up,_ mother?!” Seungmin yells, “People are losing their loved ones all around them and this is what you’re concerned about? Half the people on this ship are going to die!”

“Not the better half.” Hyunjin quips.

 _Not the better half._ That’s when it hits him. Jisung is a third class passenger. He doesn’t stand a chance.

“You bastard!” Seungmin curses.

“Come on, Chaeyoung!” Momo says again as she grabs for her. Momo makes sure to get Chaeyoung situated on the lifeboat before motioning for Seungmin.

“Seungmin, you have a place on this boat. Come on.” Momo says quietly.

“No, I don’t. Goodbye mother.” Seungmin says as he backs away from the lifeboat. Hyunjin grabs him by the arm before he can get away. _You will never be this rough with me ever again._

“Where are you going?! You’re-you’re going back to him, aren’t you? You want to be a whore to that filth?!” Hyunjin yells while shaking Seungmin. 

“I’d rather be his whore than your husband.” Seungmin says. He uses all of his strength to shove Hyunjin off of him. Seungmin takes his chance to run, ignoring his mother’s cries behind him. Seungmin makes sure to run through a large crowd in order to lose Hyunjin. He won’t let himself be controlled by the other any longer. He wasn’t going to stop Seungmin from what he was about to do.

-

“Fuck! Hello?! Anybody? Someone help!” Jisung screams. _This could be bad,_ Jisung thinks to himself. The office is beginning to fill with water at an alarming rate. There was nothing Jisung could do to save himself at this point. Woojin had taken the handcuff keys and there was nothing around him that could save him. All he could do was scream for help that he was sure would never come.

“Help!”

-

“Mr.Andrews! Thank goodness, Mr.Andrews, where would someone who has been arrested by the Master at Arms be taken?” Seungmin asks. _Luck, it was luck running into him._

“Young Seungmin, you must evacuate the boat!” Mr.Andrews says back.

“Please, sir! This is of extreme importance. I will do this with or without your help, but your help would make the process go by much quicker.” Seungmin says. His words seem to do the trick. Mr.Andrews tells him where someone in that particular situation would be held as well as directions to the location.

“Be careful, Seungmin.”

-

This ship is sinking fast. Seungmin finds that the lower he goes below deck, the more water waits for him. The elevator operator gives him a look of pity before heading back up without him. _I don’t need your pity. I need to find Jisung._

“Jisung?! Jisung, where are you?!” Seungmin screams. 

Jisung swears he’s hearing things. It’s almost as if he can hear Seungmin calling for him. Don’t be stupid. Seungmin is probably already on a lifeboat miles from here.

“Jisung?!”

The voice is getting closer. 

“JISUNG?!”

“Seungmin? Seungmin, is that you?! I’m in here!” Jisung shouts. The closer the voices gets, the more Jisung wants to believe that it’s really Seungmin.

Seungmin bursts in the door seconds later. He wastes no time as he makes his way to Jisung. The two embrace, once again feeling like they’ve been separated for decades.

“Jisung! Jisung, I am so sorry. I do believe you! I know you didn’t steal the stupid necklace!” Seungmin cries.

“That Woojin guy put it in my pocket.” Jisung says.

“I know.”

“Seungmin, look in that desk over there. There may be another key to these handcuffs in there.” Jisung suggests. Seungmin rummages through the desk drawers as quickly as he can. He unfortunately comes up blank. 

“Fuck. Wait, Seungmin. How did you know I didn’t do it?” Jisung asks.

“I didn’t,” Seungmin starts, “I just realized I already knew.”

-

Jisung sends Seungmin out for help when they realize there is no key in the room. Seungmin returns with an axe. _Not exactly what I meant by help._ By the time Seungmin returns, the water is waist high. The two must move quickly.

“Will this work?” Seungmin asks.

“Well, I guess we’re about to find out.” Jisung replies.

The two are both terrified, but they know that this is the only option. The water will end up over their heads soon enough. _One wrong move with this ax and he kills me._

“Try a couple practice swings.” Jisung advises. Seungmin thrusts the axe into the wooden cabinet in the corner.

“Good, now try to hit the same spot!”

Seungmin thrust the axe forward again, hitting a spot four inches from the initial one. The water is rising. 

“Okay, that’s enough practice,” he winces, “You can do this, Seungmin. Just hit it as hard as you can. I trust you.”

Seungmin moves his arms backward, preparing for the swing. Jisung closes his eyes. _This is it._ The axe comes down exactly where it needs to. Jisung’s handcuffs are now separated. He is finally free. Seungmin drops the axe as Jisung leaps towards him. The temperature of the water is shocking. It almost takes the breath right out of him.

“Shit. Okay, shit this is cold. Come on, let’s go!” Jisung says.

The two wade out into the hallway. Jisung looks to the left as Seungmin looks to the right. There’s a staircase on Jisung’s side, but it’ll be fully submerged in seconds.

“We have to find another way.”

-

“He’s not on the starboard side either.” Woojin says to Hyunjin. He was getting extremely sick of chasing around Hyunjin’s little boyfriend. 

“Well, find him! We’re running out of time and this asshole,” Hyunjin says pointing at one of the stewards, “isn’t letting any men on!” 

“The ones on the other side of the ship are.” Woojin states.

“Then that’s our play, but we still need to find him.” Hyunjin says. The two continue the search for Seungmin. As they take off running, they pass an elderly couple arguing.

“Just please, get into the boat.” The man pleads.

“No! We’ve been together for forty years and where you go, I go. Don’t argue with me! You know it won’t change my mind.” The woman says.

The couple never makes it off of the ship.

-

“Felix! Lix! What’s going on?” Jisung shouts. Felix turns at the sound of Jisung’s voice. The two hug as soon as they get to each other, just like brothers would.

“The boats are all going, but they won’t let us up!” Felix answers.

“Dear god, where’s Jeongin?” Jisung asks.

“He’s trying to reason with the stewards, but they won’t listen. They’ve locked the gates. They don’t care who’s down here. They’re gonna leave us to die here.” Felix says gravely.

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Jisung says as he pushes his way to front with Seungmin right behind him. He wasn’t going to let all of these people die down here because of their class standing. But after a short argument with the steward, Jisung loses it.

“God damn it! We’re all gonna die down here, don’t you get it? Let us up!” He screams.

Jeongin taps Jisung on the shoulder and points towards a bench a few feet from them. Jisung knows exactly what he’s planning. If him, Jeongin, and Felix use it as a battering ram, they’ll be able to break the gates. Seungmin tells people to back up as the trio pick up the bench. The steward tries to tell them to stop, but his yells are drowned out by the sound of the gate breaking. Seungmin then steps up to the steward in front of them.

“If you have any intentions of keeping your job with this company, I suggest you lead these good people to the boats. Now.” He commands. The man dumbly shakes his head as he motions for everyone to follow him.

Somewhere on another part of the boat, Hyunjin slips two bands of cash and the Heart of the Ocean into his jacket. He was going to make his own luck. He would not lose again.

-

By the time Hyunjin and Woojin make it to the other boats, it’s too late. They get there just as the last one is lowering. Class would not be on their side tonight. 

“We’re too late.” Hyunjin says numbly. Tonight’s tragedy was really starting to set in. There was a chance that Hyunjin’s money would not be able to save him this time.

“Stay with this one,” Woojin says quietly, motioning towards the man lowering the last boat, “Murdoch, he seems to be quite practical.”

Hyunjin knows what his bodyguard means by practical. He knows that with a sizeable bribe, he can get off of this ship alive. Hyunjin is shaken from his thoughts by the sound of gunshots. Stewards were beginning to use their firearms to keep people in line. Hyunjin knows that he can’t wait any longer to approach Murdoch.

“Mr.Murdoch,” Hyunjin says while falling into step with the man, “My name is Hwang Hyunjin. I’m a businessman and I have a business proposition for you.” 

-

“The boats are gone!” Seungmin yells. Him, Jisung, Jeongin, and Felix had made it to the deck but they too had been too late. It seemed that all the lifeboats were gone. Seungmin looks to his left and sees a familiar man escorting two others. _That’s the colonel. Perfect._

“Colonel! Are there any boats left?” He asks.

“Yes sir, there still are a few boats left. Come this way, I will lead you all!” The colonel says. The four boys follow after the colonel in hopes of finding a way off the sinking ship. They were all thinking the same thing. They were all too young to die tonight. They hadn’t gotten to really experience life yet. _They were too young to die tonight._

On the way to the boats, they pass the band that had played during dinners in first class. They were still playing, even now. Something about that made Seungmin feel sick.

“Look at that, music to drown by. Now I know I’m in first class.” Felix scoffs.

-

“So we’ve got a deal then?” Hyunjin asks.

“I believe we do.” Murdoch says. He nods to Hyunjin and then returns to his job.

“Any more women and children? If not, we can take her down.” Murdoch says. This was Hyunjin’s chance to escape, but of course he’s once again stopped. This time, it’s by Kim Woojin.

“We’ve found him. He’s on the other side of the boat, _with him._ ” He tells Hyunjin. Hyunjin takes one look at his escape and sighs. 

“God damn it! Let’s go!” He says running towards the other side of the boat. He knows Murdoch won’t be able to wait for him to return. The boat goes into the water without him.

-

Jeongin, Jisung, Seungmin, and Felix finally find the boats on the other side of the ship. Men still aren’t allowed to board the boats on this side. Jisung sends Jeongin and Felix to look for other boats. This is the last time he sees his two friends.

“Get on the boat, Seungmin. They know you. They’ll let you on with the women and children!” Jisung urges. Jisung didn’t want to be parted from Seungmin, but he wanted Seungmin to get off this ship alive. He needed Seungmin to live even if he didn’t. 

“No! I’m not going without you!” Seungmin argues. He wasn’t going to leave Jisung to die here. 

“Yes, Seungmin. Get it the boat.” A voice says. The two turn and are shocked to see Hwang Hyunjin behind them. Hyunjin takes a look at Seungmin and shakes his head.

“Jesus Christ, look at you. Here,” Hyunjin says handing him his coat, “put this on.” Seungmin is surprised at the unexpected kindness. _It’s not kindness. I’m a mess and still his, he doesn’t want people seeing me like this. Even in this state of panic._

“Go on, Seungmin. I’ll get the next one!” Jisung says.

“Jisung, _no._ Not without you.” Seungmin says back. He doesn’t care that Hyunjin is watching the exchange between the two of them. He misses the way Hyunjin’s jaw clenches at the words he says to Jisung. Instead of lashing out, he leans in closer to the two of them.

“There are boats on the other side of the ship that are allowing men. Jisung and I can get off safely. Both of us will be safe.” Hyunjin says lowly.

“See, I’ll be fine. Go on and catch your boat now. We have our own to catch.” Jisung says with a smile. Seungmin doesn’t want to leave him, but he knows he has to think logically. They both need to get off the sinking ship, so Seungmin makes a decision. He gets into the lifeboat. Jisung and Hyunjin stand at the railing watching the boat lower down, watching Seungmin.

“You’re a good liar.” Hyunjin says in a whisper.

“Almost as good as you. There’s no boats on the other side, are there?” Jisung asks.

“Oh there are, but they won’t be taking you anywhere,” Hyunjin pauses, “I always win Jisung.” Hyunjin pats him on the back and leaves him where he’s standing. Jisung knows this now. Hyunjin was the type of guy that would always win, while Jisung would always be the guy who would lose. He was screwed. 

-

Seungmin can’t stop looking at Jisung as his boat lowers towards the ocean. He’s safe in this boat. It’ll take him miles away from the disaster that was unfolding right in front of everyone’s eyes. He may be safe, but he realizes that Jisung is not. He knows Hyunjin. Whatever deal he struck up would not include Jisung. Jisung was going to die on the Titanic. For all he knew, he might die on his lifeboat. This thought makes him realize that if he is to die, he wants to die with Jisung. He doesn’t want to die cold and lonely on a lifeboat full of strangers. If these were to be the last hours of his short life, he wanted to spend them with Han Jisung. So Kim Seungmin makes one of the most questionable decisions of his life. He gets off the boat.

“Seungmin, no!”

-

Jisung can’t believe what he’s just seen. Seungmin jumped out of his lifeboat back into the ship. He spins away from the railing and begins towards Deck A. Hyunjin also sees Seungmin jump back onto the ship and he too can’t believe his eyes. _He’s willing to die for this piece of sewer scum. He’s willing to die with him. He would prefer to die with him than to be safe with me._ Hyunjin sees red.

-

Jisung runs down the grand staircase, knowing that Seungmin is coming from his right. Seungmin leaps into his arms when they meet. Hyunjin watches the pair from the top of the staircase.

“You’re so stupid, Seungmin! Why would you do that? You’re so stupid.” Jisung says in between kisses. He’s crying now too.

“You jump, I jump, remember?” Seungmin replies.

The embrace and the kissing is finally enough to set Hyunjin off. He grabs at Woojin’s gun and screams in anger as he fires it at Jisung and Seungmin. The two scream and flee the scene hand in hand. Hyunjin tries to follow them, firing a few more shots, before realizing that his pants are getting soaked. 

“Enjoy your time together!” Hyunjin shouts. Suddenly, something dawns on him causing him to laugh.

“What could possibly be funny?” Woojin asks him.

“I put the diamond in my coat,” He laughs, “and I put the coat on him!” He laughter fades as he turns towards Woojin. He hands the gun back to its owner and say one final thing.

“I give it to you, if you can get it.”

-

Seungmin and Jisung are smart enough to know they’re being followed. They just don’t know who’s following them. They zigzag in and out of corridors and doorways in order to lose their shadow. They hear the occasional warning shot behind them, but Woojin never catches up to them. Within the next twenty or so minutes, they trek around most of the boat in order to get back to the main deck. After facing multiple obstacles, an almost drowning and an abandoned child, they make it back to the main deck. There are still crowds of people trying to escape the ship. The longer they’re on the ship the more slanted things become. Part of the ship was raising right out of the water. 

-

Hyunjin’s deal with Murdoch ends the second Murdoch places a gun in his mouth and shoots. He had killed someone in the crowd and it had all become too much for him to handle. Now, he needs to find another way to safety and that way would be the crying child sitting in the alcove. He never did care much for children, but he cared about his own safety. This would be his ticket out of this mess.

“Let me through! I have a child! Please, I’m all he has in this world. Please bring us to safety.” 

And Hwang Hyunjin is just convincing enough to get himself off of the RMS Titanic.

-

“We just have to keep moving up.” Jisung says. 

They had been running towards the airborne side of the ship like many others were doing. Jisung had no clue how long this would keep them safe, but he assumed they had more time. He never factored the ship splitting in two into his equation and when the ship does break in two everyone on it is thrown into the water. When Jisung finally surfaces, Seungmin is nowhere to be found. 

-

“Seungmin!” Seungmin turns at the sound of his name. He had been in the water for ten minutes before Jisung found him. The two briefly embrace.

“Seungmin, you have to keep swimming. Come on! Swim!” Jisung says. The boys tread water for a few minutes before they find a piece of wooden debris. Both of them try getting on it, but it’s obvious that it’s only made for one person and Jisung needed that person to be Seungmin.

-

“Don’t worry, Seungmin. They boats are gonna come back for us. I’m fine here. Just please try to keep warm.” Jisung says.

The cold water really does feel like a thousand knives stabbing Jisung. He’s past cold. He doesn’t know what comes after freezing, but he knows he’s passed that as well. He knows that he isn't going to make it out of this. Han Jisung knows that he is going to die in the Atlantic Ocean. Seungmin’s lips are blue, meaning his are too. The two fall into silence for a while.

“It’s getting quiet.” Seungmin says. His voice is barely above a whisper. The cold is taking a toll on him as well.

“Y-you know, I i-intend to write a s-s-strongly worded letter to White Star Line a-about this.” Jisung stammers. The cold is becoming unbearable. He knows that he doesn’t have much time left. He couldn’t believe how unfair life could be.

“I love you, Han Jisung.” Seungmin says. Tears freeze on his cheeks.

“Hey, d-don’t start with any goodbyes. Don’t give up yet. D-don’t give up.” Jisung urges.

“I can’t feel my body. I’m s-so cold.” Seungmin whines. Shivering is becoming a chore.

“Seungmin, l-listen to me. Winning t-that ticket was the best thing that h-has ever happened to me. W-winning that ticket lead m-me to you. I’m s-so thankful.” Jisung tells him. Jisung knew he was going to die a cold death, but the words he was saying weren’t lies. He was so thankful for the short time he got with Seungmin.

“Y-you need to promise me s-something, Seungmin. P-promise me that you w-will survive, t-that you’ll n-never give up. No m-matter what happens, n-no matter h-how bad things m-may seem, n-never give up. Promise me n-now and n-never let go o-of that promise.” Jisung says. The words are hard for him to get out. The cold is stealing the breath right from him. He doesn’t know how much longer he’ll last.

“I promise, Jisung. I’ll n-never let go. I’ll never let go.” Seungmin promises. Seungmin grips Jisung’s hand as hard as he can. The thought of losing Jisung is enough to make him want to give up, but he made a promise and he didn’t intend to break it.

-

By the time the boats make their way back to Seungmin and Jisung, it’s much too late. Seungmin wants to believe that Jisung has fallen asleep, but he’s not that stupid. Han Jisung was dead. He had died freezing, but not alone. Han Jisung did not die alone. Seungmin feels as though he’ll never love again. He feels as though he’s already dead as the lifeboat paddles through looking for survivors. Everyone around him was dead. 

Seungmin tries to scream for help. He tries to get the lifeboat to come to him, but he can’t speak. It feels as though his vocal chords are frozen. Seungmin looks to his right at a floating corpse. There’s a whistle around the person’s neck. He’ll never forget how disgusting he feels for grabbing the whistle off of a dead body, but it wouldn’t be any use to them. He places the whistle to his lips and blows it. After a few tries, he catches the attention of the lifeboat. He is finally saved. The last remaining piece of Seungmin’s heart breaks when he has to let go on Jisung. _I’ll never let go of the promise, Jisung. I will never let go._

-

Carpathia does, in fact, end up being their savior. They load up their boat with the survivors of the Titanic wreck. Seungmin can’t shake the guilt he feels. _I should’ve done more. I should’ve tried to save him. He saved me in every way a person could be saved and yet I couldn’t save him. He should’ve died warm at least. He didn’t deserve the cold._

“Can I have your name, love?” The voice shakes Seungmin from his downward spiral. It’s a member of Carpathia taking names of the survivors. 

“Seungmin. Han Seungmin.”

_I’ll never let go, Jisung._

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, a big huge thank you to Laur for getting the ball rolling on this fic! She suggested the pairing and gave me lots of encouragement which was greatly appreciated! Also, thank you to Kalina for the encouragement as well uwu! This is the longest fic I've written but I'm proud of it! Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Follow me on my other social media!  
> main twitter: strayminhos  
> au twitter: straysau


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